"Förvänta dig alltid lite mer." : En intervjustudie om elevers utveckling mot yrkeskunnande inom gymnasiesärskolans lärlingsutbildning.

Sammanfattning: A main purpose of upper secondary school for students with intellectual disability is to create vocationally skilled individuals. Despite that, only a small number of special education high school students actually end up in employment. Some special education high schools offer apprenticeship-based education, which provides students with intellectual disability the opportunity to learn by situated learning in the workplace. The aim for the student is to move from novice to more competent worker, through a cooperative effort by the vocational teacher, the apprentice master at the workplace and the apprentice student, while at the same time making connections with professionals. The aim of this study is to describe some students’, vocational teachers’ and apprentice masters’ experiences of the development toward vocational skills and identity in apprentice students in upper secondary school for students with intellectual disability. We interviewed some of these key persons in apprenticeship education, to take part in their experiences, and to attempt to identify possibilities and obstacles in this type of educational form, concerning the development of vocational skills and a vocational identity. Our results showed a sense of pride in the students, regarding being a part of the workplace community. Furthermore, the students showed faith in their own abilities and had clear dreams for the future. The results also showed that the vocational teachers and the apprentice masters were highly involved in the students’ learning processes. We identified several factors that could affect the opportunities for students to progress in vocational skills and employability, such as more time for learning and cooperation, but also obstacles such as prejudice in the society.